The present invention generally relates to a solar powered light, and more specifically, to a solar rechargeable light that utilizes at least one light emitting diode (LED). The use of solar energy as a source of energy for various types of devices is well known in the art and has been shown to be advantageous in situations where other sources of power are unavailable. For example, outdoor landscape lighting is frequently solar powered.
Solar power is advantageous in situations where other power sources are unavailable because solar energy can be collected during the daylight hours via a solar panel. In certain situations, the solar cell can directly power a device, but it is more common to have the solar cell charge and maintain an energy storage device. These devices can range from batteries to capacitors. The energy stored in the energy storage device is then used to power and operate the attached light.
Solar panels are frequently used to charge batteries that power lights at night in various applications. Some of these applications include outdoor landscaping lights, Christmas lights, and even road signs along desolate portions of interstates. Use of solar energy in these applications are becoming more and more popular because of the reduced environmental impact solar cells have on the environment verses the more traditional power sources.
There have been many U.S. patents that utilize solar powered lights. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,055,984 discloses a solar powered light that is used to illuminate the ground, walkways, and or walls. U.S. Pat. No. 6,948,826 utilizes a solar powered light to illuminate steps at night, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,756 utilizes a solar powered light to illuminate road signs to warn the public of potential driving hazards. Each of these applications use a traditional solar cell array that requires complicated devices to track the movement of the sun across the sky to effectively utilize the daytime sunlight. Additionally, the size of the accompanying storage devices limits the use of the designs in smaller applications.
Interest in solar powered lighting has also increased with the improvement of LED technology. LED lighting arrays offer a low power consumption device that provides better light emission for a comparable amount of energy used when compared to traditional lighting, such as incandescence and florescent lighting. Because of the LED characteristics, LED's are being used in more and more lighting applications. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,019 discloses an LED light string that requires an AC to DC conversion. The light string utilizes three independent wires in combination to power each LED. Because of the number of wires, the light string is easily tangled and damaged. Moreover, the three wire combination used increases the opportunity for failure of the light string.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,502 discloses an electrical candlestick device. The device utilizes a light emitting device, such as a diode, at the top of a plastic candlestick portion. The preferred embodiment utilizes a traditional incandescent light and an AC power source to provide a single decorative light. Unfortunately, the size of the candlestick is problematic and makes it difficult to use such a system for Christmas lighting. Thus, there is a need for a compact system that provides a rechargeable LED light in all weather environments.